06-10-2022, 02:39 PM
(06-10-2022, 11:52 AM)tomh009 Wrote: Having grown up in a country with a lot of gravel and dirt roads and trails, I really fail to understand why recreational bicycling (not for transportation) requires a paved trail. Maybe a competition road bike would have a problem with this, but 90%+ of the bikes would not. Mine has fairly narrow 30mm tires and I'm fine on most trails, except loose surfaces that really need a MTB. And, of course, such trails are fine for hiking.
I am not saying all recreational trails should be unpaved. Rather, I'm saying that I don't think that they all need to be paved.
Riding on gravel has far more vibrations and so is more physically exhausting and physically demanding than riding on pavement. I used to ride the Paris rail trail and it always left me very sore the day after in my shoulders and neck, in a way that riding on pavement does not. I could ride much longer on pavement.
This is to say nothing of the dust and dirt that you get on a gravel, and the lack of winter maintenance, the and fact that you cannot use the trail soon after bad weather.
And that's my experience on the Paris rail trail which is significantly smoother than gravel roads (which trade a worse surface for better drainage).
Just because it is possible to ride, does not mean it is a worse experience.